Thursday, April 30, 2015

This fence is the type of fence required by the city to protect trees during construction or renovation of a home. It marks off a Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) around the tree where there are to be no grade changes, no storage of materials, no hard surfacing, and no vehicle parking. The city also requires that a deposit of around $5,000 be put down that will be returned if the tree is unharmed at the end of the work. If the tree dies you forfeit the money and you also must plant new trees in its place. This one was spotted in the Annex neighbourhood where the homes in this pic sell for a few million dollars each!Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

This is the Windsor Arms Hotel, a 5 star hotel located diagonally from yesterday's Victorian facades. This Neo-Gothic hotel was built in 1927 and is historically designated but was totally rebuilt in the 1990s when 25 very high end condos were built on the top of it. The hotel is a favourite of many celebrities and famous people and I must say that I had one of the best meals in my life in one of their restaurants! Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

I showed you a pic of the lovely Victorian homes (HERE) that are to be part of a commercial condo complex and I went by recently to check the progress. Well, it is quite apparent that only the facades of the old beauties are being retained and the complex will be built above them. I'll keep an eye on this project to see how it turns out but it is a bit disappointing to see this stage.

Monday, April 27, 2015

I was driving along just off Queen St W and spotted another mural by Birdo so of course I pulled over for a pic. I have no idea what it means but once more you can see the wonderful textures and colours that he uses.Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

I seem to be stumbling across more and more of these great old hinges as I wander about the city. This is the main entrance to Trinity College which is one of the colleges at U of Toronto. On weekends and after hours one must enter through that smaller door visible on the left. I do love those hinges!

Friday, April 24, 2015

The Crystal addition to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) provides a lot of interesting reflections of traffic on Bloor St and in the upper right window you can see a bit of a crane involved in construction of yet another condo across the road. Taking part in Weekend Reflections. Click HERE to see more reflections from around the world.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Just after taking yesterday's pic of the golden polar bear this red Ferrari roared to a stop beside me and since I already had the camera ready I go this shot. I know nothing about these cars except that they always seem to be red!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

The coin in the pic in the bus shelter is our $2 coin (aka toonie) and it is usually graced by a golden polar bear but as I walked along Queen's Park I spotted this escapee! The purpose of this is to advertise a competition to design special images for the 5 Canadian circulation coins for 2017 in order to mark the 150th anniversary of our country that year. Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see signs from around the world.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

I was taking a shortcut through the city and passed this red beauty so of course I pulled over for a pic! It is a 1959 Cadillac Coupe De Ville and after peeking into the interior I can tell you that the whole car was beautifully restored. It was huge and I can't imagine trying to parallel park it! Perfect for the King.

Monday, April 20, 2015

This mural was painted along this fence bordering a playground on College St 2 years ago by artists Sean Martindale and Pascal Paquette. I spent a while attempting to get a shot with no one walking in front of it but finally gave up since it was fairly cold when this was taken in March. It is still easy to see the tribute to the Stones song "Time is on our Side".Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

This is Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. This Gothic Revival church was built in 1867 when it was called St Patrick's Church and it served a mainly Irish congregation. In 1908 a new St Patrick's Church was built around the corner and this one was renamed Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the parish was mostly Italian. Through the years the congregation changed to Portuguese, then Korean and since 1970 it has been a Chinese church with many services for the Chinese community in the area, such as day care etc. The building is the 5th oldest Catholic church in the city.Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

This fine colonnade runs along the left side of the OISE building which was the one visible on the right side of yesterday's pic. The colonnade leads to the main entrance and the auditorium. Apparently there is a good collection of modern art in the building so I will have to try to explore inside one day.

Friday, April 17, 2015

The building on the left with all the windows is the newly completed Goldring Centre For High Performance Sports at the U of Toronto. I'm hoping it may be open for tours during our Doors Open event but in the meantime I like its juxtaposition with the round tower of the Munk School of Global Affairs, built in 1909, and the building on the right which is the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), built in 1968. Three very different types of architecture from three eras! The reflection in the windows shows some of the other buildings along Bloor St as well as light standards from Varsity Stadium which is directly across the street.Taking part in Weekend Reflections. Click HERE to see more reflections from around the world.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

This is part of the fence by the Casa Loma stables with one of the turrets from the stables and part of the potting shed visible in the background. I'm always partial to carvings so I find this section of the fence wonderful.Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

There seem to be people everywhere who insist on feeding pigeons and it becomes a real problem in busy commercial ares. I spotted this sign just outside a grocery store and can't help but wonder if the feeders pay it any attention.Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE for more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

I've told you in other posts about the many ravines crisscrossing Toronto and most of the time you can't see much in them for all the trees. This ravine near Casa Loma is crossed by a bridge so you can look down and especially with no leaves on the trees you can see many things that are invisible all summer. This lovely little gazebo belongs to a house that is out of the pic up to the left. I can just imagine sitting out there in nice weather listening to the birds, surrounded by green, and just escaping the world for a bit!

Monday, April 13, 2015

It certainly wasn't spring-like when I took this pic in March but despite the snow on the garage the doors seemed bright and cheerful like you expect in Spring. I'm not sure of the significance of snakes and deer but they look like they are getting along with each other. The artist for these is Andrea Manica. And yes our snow is all gone!Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

This is the stained glass from above the door in yesterday's pic of Bloor Street United Church, as seen from inside. The church is well known for its stained glass but unfortunately I couldn't enter the nave as there was a wedding going on when I was there - I will try another time to catch the large windows.Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

This is one of the side entrances to Bloor Street United Church which I showed you last July (HERE). I love the red door with those fabulous hinges. And surprisingly the doors were not locked so I actually got into the vestibule. I'll give you a peek of some of the great stained glass tomorrow.

Friday, April 10, 2015

The African art gallery at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of my favourite areas. The collection of African pieces is the largest in Canada with 95 pieces, almost all of them donated by Dr Murray Frum. They are located in their own dedicated gallery which was designed by architects Brigitte Shim & Howard Sutcliffe and it is a wonderful space. These 2 pieces are from Nigeria and of course the one in the middle is from Toronto!Taking part in Weekend Reflections. Click HERE to see more reflections from around the world.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

I took this pic last fall of these Victorian homes located just off Bloor St in probably the most expensive commercial area in the city. These homes are being converted into office space as part of a large commercial condo complex being built around them. Now that the weather is improving I will have to head by to see what progress has been made if any but already in the pic you can see that these old dears have been cleaned a lot. Meanwhile the fence will protect them from vandals.Taking part in Good Fences. Click HERE to see more fences from around the world.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

This sign showing a cross section of an eyeball is a real standout as you drive past it even on a very busy St Clair Ave. I finally stopped recently to catch a pic and unfortunately at this time of year it is hard to keep a storefront clean, so the building is a bit splashed.Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

This lovely trio of stained glass windows was found in the Church of St Mary Magdalene which I had shown you on the weekend. They were done in memory of a long-time chorister from the church so the musical reference is quite suitable.

Monday, April 6, 2015

I thought I would show you another mural by Birdo whose work I showed last Monday. The garage itself may need a lot of work but Birdo's piece is great with his trademark colours and textures. Found in a laneway off Dundas St W.Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

The outside of yesterday's Church of St Mary Magdalene did not prepare me for the interior which was so beautiful and light. It was such a pleasure to walk in there and see the wonderful rood cross hanging in its bright environment. The cross was modeled by sculptor Frances Loring and was painted by Frank Johnston who was one of the Group Of Seven, a famous group of 20th Century Canadian painters. Apparently many of the windows along the sides of the church had been covered since the 1920s and were opened up again during a renovation in 2008. I'm so glad I got in to see this interior.Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click HERE to see more religious buildings from around the world.Happy Easter everyone!

Saturday, April 4, 2015

This is the Church Of St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church which apparently follows an Anglo-Catholic convergence of Roman Catholic & Anglican influences. I'm not sure what that all means. The church was designed by Frank Darling and construction began in 1888 and finished in 1908 but there have been several renovations since then. It is suitable to show it this week since the parish is well known for excellence in sacred music particularly during Holy Week. It's hard to believe but I actually got inside this church - it was locked but some people inside opened up and invited me in. I'll show you the wonderful interior tomorrow.

Friday, April 3, 2015

I was on Queen St W buying a carrot cake and couldn't resist taking a pic of the chicks in the window of the bakery. I want one of those big ones! And of course I liked the reflection of the shops across the street and another camera-shy selfie.Taking part in Weekend Reflections. Click HERE for more reflections from around the world.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

I kept passing this RV all winter but never when it was bright and sunny so finally a couple of weeks ago the sun was shining on it and I pulled over. Even with the very dirty plowed snow beside it the RV was a treat to see with its bright colours. The artist for the paint job is Jimmy Chiale who also does a lot of murals and street art around town, and it seems that the vehicle itself belongs to a sound studio!

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The City Daily Photo Blog community's April theme is basically a camera-shy selfie, so of course I have been taking a lot of reflection shots. In this shot I was attempting to take a pic of the neon crowns in the window of the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) which are there to promote the Basquiat show since the crown is Basquiat's trademark. After I uploaded this pic to my computer I saw the 'selfie' sign in the upper right and of course that is a shy me to the left with Dundas St reflected in the window.Taking part in the Theme Day. Click HERE to see more selfies from around the world.Also taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.